Justice Department Inspector General Declines to Investigate Handling of Reflecting Pool Case Against Hearn

The Justice Department's inspector general, Don R. Berthiaume, has declined to investigate how prosecutors handled the criminal case against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn, Hearn's lawyers said in a letter Wednesday. Hearn, 67, of Bethesda, Maryland, was charged in July with felony damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which was being renovated for President Donald Trump. Trump had blamed Hearn and other vandals. At the end of July, the office of U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro moved to dismiss the case, saying the damage came from flawed installation by the contractor, Atlantic Industrial Coatings. A judge later dismissed the case and barred the government from charging Hearn again. The lawyers said the inspector general found the allegations outside his jurisdiction and referred them to the Office of Professional Responsibility. The letter urges him to reconsider, citing possible crimes by Justice Department personnel.

The alternative source, AP, leads with the declination and the lawyers' letter. Right-leaning Just the News also stresses the jurisdiction finding, citing AP and the letter's warning about public confidence. Left-leaning outlets add context: NBC highlights Trump's false claims and alleged crimes, and CBS stresses that the Office of Professional Responsibility is less independent and depleted.